Product Description

The story of how Tourette syndrome, a common hereditary disorder, provides insights into the cause and treatment of a wide range of human behavioral problems. It covers diagnosis, associated behaviors including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disorders, dyslexia, conduct disorder, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, alcoholism, drug abuse, obesity, depression, panic attacks, phobias, night terrors, bed wetting, sleep disturbances, lying, stealing, inappropriate sexual behavior, and others, brain structure and chemistry, treatment and implications for society, over 2,500 references, 30 page Tourette syndrome-Human Behavior Questionnaire, and Extensive index

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57756 in Books
• Published on: 1990-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 850 pages

About the Author
David E. Comings, M.D.is theDirector of the Tourette Syndrome Clinic and the Department of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center. This book is based on his personal experience with more than 3,000 Tourette syndrome and 2,000 attention deficit hyperactivity patients and their relatives. Dr. Comings was editor of the American Journal of Human Genetics for eight years and President of the American Society of Human Genetics. He has written over 350 papers on many aspects of genetics and over 100 papers on clinical and genetic aspects of Tourette syndrome.

Customer Reviews

A little DATED but worthwhile if you use caution.
This book needs to be updated badly. The behaviors in this book are spot on. Remember its a syndrome,you definatly WILL get some of the features of this neurobiological disorder but not all of them. I used this book while my adopted son was growing up. It helped me a lot. The book catalogues the lives of about 2,000 patients that were seen by Dr. Comings and his collegues, and so it covers pretty much everything. A few rules to follow if you have a loved one with this disorder:

1 - Never Lie
2 - Make no promises
3 - Never strive to create an ill feeling in someone with TS, they
create their own guilt, anger, disapointment, and sorrow.
4 - Set the best possible example and shun risk
5 - When they are young keep a regular schedule, structure is VERY good
6 - Try to have a cold temper, HOT tempers are not usefull
7 - They like bland food, do not fight over food, fix 2 meals, they eat
cheep
8 - They really do not know what happens next, and react badly to
unpleasant surprises.
9 - NO BB GUNS!
10 - They are easily taken advantage of, watch them like a hawk, they
WILL jump off a clif if their best friend does.
11 - Port - A - Patsy, scrutinize their friends closely. I'm not so sure
that the big crime figures are the result of bad behavior as much as
poor choises in friends.
12 - Be proactive and have a plan for failure.
13 - Absolutely NEVER allow someone with TS to posses a NUKYELLAR BOMB.
Sorry, my son got me again. ;-)

FULL OF OUTDATED & WRONG INFO -DON"T BUY!
As a parent of a child with Tourette's, I feel I must warn anyone trying to learn about TS to ABSOLUTELY NOT buy this horrifying book. It is full of completely outdated and flat out wrong information that has long since been dismissed by current clinical studies. Please skip it and go read Brad Cohen's book

Editor@Tourettes-Disorder.com - Review
This book is a great book for the patient diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the secondary and tertiary level of the disorder; or a person in a personal relationship with the same patient. They will understand and relate much more throughout the pages without a "Scare Factor". There are possible more sever co-morbid conditions the Dr. amplifies in the secondary and tertiary diagnosis which are not so prevalent in a first level diagnosis if at all.

I doc the book only 1 star solely for the purpose of some statistical analysis concerns which for the most part are of little value to most patients. It's a M.D. and Ph.D neurological posturing and arguing point for clinicians, researchers among many other peer review arguments. Nonetheless, the adjustment is warranted.

One of the wonderful qualities of the book is the ease of language character for the lay reader in respect of the volume size and medical matter. It is not hard to understand the theories, line of reasoning, and detail Dr. Comings presents.

True; the Dr.'s work is vastly based on those who seek treatment for the disorder, as would be expected because of his practice and leadership at the City of Hope. This is a plus however for those who seek treatment because it focuses on that range of patients. For that margin of patients it is illuminating and liberating to have a name and understanding by medical clinicians of what Tourettes has meant to them on their level.

For a mild case of Tourettes, this may only be a book you can discover information about others who suffer from the disorder more than you. Don't let it scare you however. Even if your case is mild, the pedigree education, charts, tables, neurology, survey and more, can help you understand a riddle.

"Having Tourettes is kind of like a riddle. Tourette Syndrome can be tough to understand and solve, however like a riddle, Tourette Syndrome can be quite easy to accept once you understand it." - Paul Marshall - Editor Tourettes-Disorder.com